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MY XEX Login(via Darra North America)
I spent some time in Florence a few summers back and saw some extraordinary artwork. I studied conversational Italian at CLIDA, a private university in downtown Florence. Through the university, I was encouraged to visit Gli Uffizi, La Accademia di Belle Arti Firenze, and other famous galleries in the area. I’ve always been drawn to Italian art, so I thought that for today’s post I would focus on the art of Darra, a studio located outside of Venice, Italy.
Riccardo and Raffaele Darra, a father and son artistic duo, specialize in Murano glass mosaics and fusion. Murano glass is exclusively available to artistic Italian families and is valued for its purity and range of vivid colors. I had the pleasure of seeing some of Riccardo and Raffaele’s work last week in downtown Chicago, and I’m especially in love with their mosaics. They invented an extremely innovative technique in 1994 that they apply to their mosaic pieces. They layer piece after piece of Murano glass to create compositions that are held together by a completely transparent resin. They then fix the composition between two panes of glass to make a sort of double glazing.
Here’s an example of their mosaics:
(via Darra North America)
Riccardo, who has been in the art business for nearly 40 years, specializes in Murano glass mosaics whereas Raffaele, who has worked alongside his father since he was seven years old, focuses on Murano glass fusion. Raffaele also has some extremely interesting pieces where he sketches on multiple layers of rice paper and encases the sketches in glass.
(via Darra North America)
Pictured above is a chilling piece from Raffaele titled Facce (or “Faces”). Raffaele’s art reflects his belief that each person possesses varying moods or personalities throughout each day. Raffaele is also a designer and created this adorable Arcoiris Cuckoo Clock that is availble for purchase at the MOMA Museum Store:
(via MOMA Museum Store)
The art of Riccardo and Raffaele Darra is currently on display at XEX Salon located at 35 W. Wacker Dr., Lower Level, Chicago, IL, 60601. Pieces are also available for purchase at the salon, so if you’re looking for a magnent for your fridge or a bud vase for your apartment, I would suggest checking it out. Nothing is cooler than having a beautiful piece of Murano glass in your home. I can’t afford a large piece, but I do have a brightly colored necklace for the spring.
I’ve been thinking about visual lifestyles since I graduated from college last December. How wonderful would it be to have something that you’re so passionate about that you have work to show for it, a studio, and a fan base centered around it (like illustrator Sarah McNeil, pictured above)? Of course, I’m passionate about music but I’ve never felt that I have the chops to actually make it as a singer/songwriter. I love playing shows but only if the sound is perfect and only if I don’t make any mistakes (which, as a solo musician, happens all of the time). I’ve always felt that I could use more formal training until I watched the short documentary below about The Sartorialist’s Scott Schumann:
(via The Sartorialist)
He explains that he started taking photographs with very little training. He keeps his eyes open and photographs what he sees. He explains that there isn’t a formula to his work; he’s self-taught and he does things the only the way he knows how: his way. This video has shaped my whole attitude this week. Maybe I can lead a visual life like all of the people that I admire/envy so much.
(via Hanneli)
Now, I know I’m not skinny enough to lead a visual life like model Hanneli Mustaparta. Her life seems so glamorous; living in both New York and Norway, photoshoots with Vogue Nippon (pictured above), designers sending beautiful pieces of clothing for her to wear and photograph, etc. Between her and Rumi Neely of Fashiontoast, I can’t imagine who leads a more exciting visual life. Rumi recently took photos of 3.1 Philip Lim’s Spring 2011 collection:
(via Fashiontoast)
Can you imagine having such lovely clothes at your fingertips? Can you imagine looking at designer collections before the general public and fashion magazine photographers? It all seems so impossible. Or what if your life was to photograph beautiful subjects like Italian photographer Fabio Bartelt? His photographs are visually stunning. I love the subtle use of color in the photograph below:
(via Fabio Bartelt)
Maybe you’re already living a visual life. Maybe you have a studio that is decorated with paper garland and maybe there’s an inspiration board with cut-outs from magazines and drawings hanging behind your computer desk. I don’t have these things, but I’ve decided that 2011 is the year of making decisions and gearing myself up for living a visual life. I’m a creative person, and I deserve a creative life and creative space to live in.
(Main image via Sarah McNeil)
(via Collage Garage)
So, I’ve always been a huge paint by numbers fan. I surprisingly didn’t make too many of them until my college years. My best gal pal during those years was always toting around a paint by number kit. We’d sit for hours at Aimee’s Coffee House in Lawrence, KS joking about having our own art show where we’d showcase all of our “paintings.” She even had hers framed! Well, paint by numbers aren’t only for children and college students with too much time on their hands. They’re for fashionistas and interior decorators as well!
(via Fine Little Day)
The fabric on this vintage wooden chair looks like plenty of paint by numbers I painted in the past. How interesting would it be to apply paint by numbers techniques to painting/designing furniture? Sounds like a great family activity to me!
(via Fashion On Demand)
Fashion designer Berber Soepboer and graphic designer Michiel Schuurman created this paint by numbers dress that comes with a variety of pens. The idea is that women can color in the dress to make it fit their personal style or their handbag.
(via Anthropologie)
Anthropologie created this “Color-Me-Paisley” tote bag that comes with six fabric pens for coloring. It’s now only fifty dollars and perfect for a paint by numbers loving person. Maybe I should pick it up for my college buddy for an early Christmas gift!
So, after seeing these beautiful and affordable crystal jewelry pieces by Briana Rose, I’ve decided that there’s a crystal void in my life. I haven’t bought myself a new piece of jewelry in ages, so I’ve decided that I’m going to treat myself to something special this next paycheck.
(via Briana Rose’s Etsy)
Crystals and crystal imagery have been all over blogs lately. This painting of crystals by Kristine Moran is simple but gorgeous. I can only imagine the thickness of the texture and how the painting would look hanging in some adorable and brightly colored apartment.
(via Kristine Moran)
Artist Russell Lang follows the trend by painting “landscape paintings” of solitary crystals. Each crystal features a different color palette. I love the purple mixed with the more neutral shades in this one.
(via Russell Lang)
My favorite crystal pieces are these crystal necklaces by Unearthen. Can you imagine owning one of these statement necklaces (a crystal merged with a 9mm bullet)? Although they’re a bit on the pricey side (between 300 and 400 dollars each), I think they’d be worth the investment. Wearing a work of art on your neck is always a solid decision. It would be a great everyday necklace to wear with jeans or a great necklace to make a classy dress look a little edgier.
(via Unearthen)
Maybe if you haven’t considered wearing crystal jewelry in the past, you will now. I know I’ve definitely turned around on the subject.
(via Design Sponge)
Jobs that pay the bills are usually awful. Nearly every job I’ve worked only for the money and not the actual experience has ended in tears. There has to be a way to make your passion your full time job. What am I good at? Singing and writing. So why am I assistant managing a shoe store? Beats me! However, it does pay well, and for the time being I can handle getting yelled at about not selling enough boot spray or taking a couple of days off to visit my family in Kansas.
Last night, my boyfriend and I visited Green Mill Cocktail Lounge for the first time since we’ve been in Chicago. We were both blown away by the atmosphere and the old time radio broadcast performed by The Alan Gresik Swing Shift Orchestra.
(via Chicago Reader)
The orchestra was fronted by a radio host and two jazz singers (one female and one male). If anything confirmed for me that it’s possible to do what you love and get monetarily compensated, it was watching an adorable female jazz singer dressed in 1930s attire belting out hits from the Golden Age.
Many artsy people have had the luxury of making their passion their full time job. For instance, Portland-based illustrator Carson Ellis started out making fliers for indie rock sweethearts The Decemberists.
(via Design Sponge)
She participated in as many illustration shows as she could and jumped at the opportunity to illustrate the pages of local zines. In her late twenties, she was working as a bartender and was approached by art directors who had seen her work on Decemberists fliers, album covers, etc. They wanted to give her paying illustration jobs. Now she illustrates children’s books in addition to her work on the music scene. In her own words, she “quit [her] job the moment [she] could swing it and [has] been working full time as an artist since.” Inspiring! This bit of news came from Design Sponge’s new guest writer Rachael Maddux. Maddux is going to continue to explore the relationship between musicians and artists in her section Sights and Sounds. I can’t wait to read more. Just another reason to adore Design Sponge.
So I suppose I won’t abandon the dream of making money doing something I actually care about. I’m going to give it my all while working my other job in the meantime.